Life of Muhammad — Page 8
sa 8 Syria, but also to the integrity and efficiency of its leader. She interrogated her slave, Maisara, on this subject, and Maisara supported her view and told her that the honesty and sympathy with which this young leader of the caravan had managed her affairs would not be shown by many persons. Khad i ja ra was much impressed by this account. She was forty years of age and had already been widowed twice. She sent a woman friend of hers to the Prophet sa to find out whether he would be persuaded to marry her. This woman went to the Prophet sa and asked why he had not married. The Prophet sa replied he was not rich enough to do so. The visitor suggested whether he would agree, if a rich and respectable woman were found whom he could marry. The Prophet sa asked who this woman could be, and the visitor said she was Khad i ja ra. The Prophet sa apologized, saying that Khad i ja ra was too highly placed for him. The visitor undertook to deal with all difficulties. In that case, said the Prophet sa , there was nothing for him to say but to agree. Khad i ja ra then sent a message to the Prophet's sa uncle. Marriage between the Prophet sa and Khad i ja ra was settled and solemnized. A poor man orphaned in, childhood had his first peep into prosperity. He became rich. But the use he made of his riches is an object-lesson to all mankind. After the marriage Khad i ja ra felt that she was rich and he was poor and that this inequality between them would not make for happiness. So she proposed to make over her property and her slaves to the Prophet sa. The Prophet sa , making sure that Khad i ja ra was in earnest, declared that as soon as he had any of Khad i ja's ra slaves, he would set them free. And he did so. Moreover, the greater part of the property which he received from Khad i ja ra he distributed among the poor. Among the slaves whom he thus set free was one Zaid ra. He appeared to be more intelligent and more alert than others. He belonged to a respectable family, had been kidnapped as a child and sold from place to place until he reached Mecca.